The World Flora Online

Herbs [shrubs or small trees], annual, biennial, or perennial. Stems ascending, erect, or twining. Leaves opposite, less often alternate or whorled, simple, base connate; stipules absent. Inflorescences simple or complex cymes, sometimes reduced to sessile clusters, often in a thyrse or 1-flowered. Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, 4 or 5 (or 6-8)[-12]-merous. Calyx tubular, obconic, campanulate, or rotate, lobes joined at least basally. Corolla tubular, obconic, salverform, funnelform, campanulate, or rotate, rarely with basal spurs; lobes overlapping to right or rarely valvate in bud; plicae (extensions of the corolla tube between the lobes) present or absent. Stamens inserted on corolla tube or occasionally at sinus between corolla lobes, alternate with lobes; anthers basifixed or dorsifixed, 2-locular. Nectaries absent or attached to ovary base or corolla. Ovary usually 1-locular at least apically, rarely 2-locular due to intrusion of a lamellate placenta into locular cavity. Fruit a 2-valved capsule, rarely a berry. Seeds many or rarely few, small; endosperm abundant [scant in saprophytic genera].

Leaves opposite, often connate at the base; stipules absent Annual or perennial herbs Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic Calyx tubular or of separate sepals, imbricate Corolla contorted Seeds with copious endosperm and small embryo Fruit usually a capsule Disk present or absent Stamens the same number as the corolla-lobes and alternating with them, inserted on the corolla; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Ovules often numerous Ovary superior, mostly 1-celled with 2 parietal placentas, sometimes 2-celled with the placentas adnate to the septa; style simple Annual or perennial herbs Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic Calyx tubular or of separate sepals, imbricate Corolla contorted Seeds with copious endosperm and small embryo Fruit usually a capsule Disk present or absent Stamens the same number as the corolla-lobes and alternating with them, inserted on the corolla; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Ovules often numerous Ovary superior, mostly 1-celled with 2 parietal placentas, sometimes 2-celled with the placentas adnate to the septa; style simple

Herbes'annuelles ou vivaces, parfois parasites ou saprophytes, plus rarement arbrisseaux, très rarement petits arbres, parfois plantes dioïques; tiges et ramifications souvent quadrangulaires à subailées, parfois filiformes.'Feuilles'simples, généralement opposées, parfois subopposées ou verticillées, entières, souvent connées à la base, transformées graduellement en bractées, parfois réduites à des écailles; stipules absentes.'Cymes'axillaires ou terminales, denses ou lâches, parfois groupées en panicules ou glomérules; plus rarement racèmes terminaux; également fleurs axillaires, solitaires, géminées ou ternées ou fleurs solitaires terminales.'Fleurs'actinomorphes, rarement zygomorphes, ☿, plus rarement polygames; calice à (2)3-5(6-12) sépales, à préfloraison imbriquée, libres ou partiellement soudés, souvent carénés et ailés; corolle à préfloraison contortée, valvaire ou imbriquée, gamopétale; tube souvent peu distinct à indistinct; lobes 3-5(6-12), pourvus ou non de nectaires; étamines 3-5(6-12), insérées sur la corolle, en général alternipétales, parfois certaines stériles ou absentes; anthères 2-loculaires, déhiscentes par fentes longitudinales, rarement par pores s'allongeant en fentes à la déhiscence; ovaire supère, 1-2-loculaire; style présent ou absent; stigmate simple ou 2-lobé; ovules généralement nombreux.'Fruits'généralement capsulaires.'Graines le plus souvent nombreuses et petites, lisses, ridées, réticulées-fovéolées ou ailées.\n\t\t\tFamille groupant environ 70 genres. Pour la Flore : 12 genres comptant 47 espèces dont 3 représentées par 4 sous-espèces.

Fls perfect, hypogynous, sympetalous, essentially regular except sometimes the cal, 4–5(–12)- merous; cal lobed or ± deeply cleft, or seldom the proper lobes much reduced or suppressed and the tube then sometimes 2-cleft; cor often with scales or nectary-pits within the tube or near the base of the lobes; cor-tube sometimes plicate above, the plaits even appearing as additional lobes alternate with the proper lobes; cor-lobes in most genera convolute; stamens on the cor-tube, alternate with the lobes; ovary superior, unilocular, with 2 parietal, sometimes ± deeply intruded placentas; style terminal, with entire or 2-lobed stigma, seldom more deeply cleft or wanting; ovules ± numerous; fr usually a septicidal (seldom irregularly dehiscent) capsule; seeds with a small, dicotyledonous embryo embedded in the oily endosperm; mostly (incl. all our spp.) herbs, usually glabrous or nearly so, with opposite or whorled, simple, entire, exstipulate lvs (in Bartonia the lvs reduced to opposite or alternate scales). 75/1000, cosmop., espec. temp. and subtrop.

Gynoecium bicarpellate, with nectary-disk or glands, superior, 1-celled, placentae parietal, often intruding, rarely 2-celled with axile placentae or 1-loculed with free-central placenta, ovules few to ± numerous; style terminal with entire, two-lobed or papillose stigma or rarely with decurrent stigma (>i>Lomatogonium) Fruit a septicidal capsule, rarely a berry Corolla lobes united, persistent or deciduous, often with scales or nectary-pits within the ± elongate tube, contorted or imbricate Stamens epipetalous, as many as and alternating with the corolla lobes; anthers with longitudinal slits, rarely with terminal pores (in >i>Exacum) Flowers bisexual, regular, 3–5(–12)-merous, often heterostylous Calyx lobes united or ± free, persistent, with a single or more rows of colleters at the base Leaves simple, opposite, seldom whorled or alternate (some Swertia spp.), scale-like in mycotrophic species (>i>Voyria, >i>Voyriella), entire; stipules 0 Flowers solitary or inflorescences cymose (rarely racemose), crowded into fascicles or ± globose heads, rarely verticillate (>i>Enicostema) Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes achlorophyllous & mycotrophic, or shrubs or rarely small trees, with colourless bitter iridoid compounds Stems decumbent to erect, simple or branched Seeds with small, straight embryo & copious oily endosperm or undifferentiated embryo & scanty endosperm in mycotrophic genera Fruit a septicidal capsule, rarely a berry Corolla lobes united, persistent or deciduous, often with scales or nectary-pits within the ± elongate tube, contorted or imbricate Stamens epipetalous, as many as and alternating with the corolla lobes; anthers with longitudinal slits, rarely with terminal pores (in >i>Exacum) Flowers bisexual, regular, 3–5(–12)-merous, often heterostylous Calyx lobes united or ± free, persistent, with a single or more rows of colleters at the base Leaves simple, opposite, seldom whorled or alternate (some Swertia spp.), scale-like in mycotrophic species (>i>Voyria, >i>Voyriella), entire; stipules 0 Flowers solitary or inflorescences cymose (rarely racemose), crowded into fascicles or ± globose heads, rarely verticillate (>i>Enicostema) Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes achlorophyllous & mycotrophic, or shrubs or rarely small trees, with colourless bitter iridoid compounds Stems decumbent to erect, simple or branched Seeds with small, straight embryo & copious oily endosperm or undifferentiated embryo & scanty endosperm in mycotrophic genera

Chromosome number: x = 5–13 (and multiples thereof)

Inflorescence a terminal cyme, often paniculate, or axillary and fasciculate or, sometimes, reduced to solitary flowers Flowers hermaphrodite or sometimes unisexual, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic, subsessile or pedicellate Calyx tubular of (2)4–5, or rarely 6–12 sepals (lobes), imbricate (sometimes valvate) Corolla gamopetalous; tube campanulate, funnel-shaped or cylindric, sometimes with a constricted limb, 3–5(12)-lobed, usually contorted or rarely imbricate, often with scales or nectary-pits within the tube Stamens as many as the corolla lobes, alternating with them, inserted on the corolla; filaments usually dilated at the base; anthers 2-thecous, with distinct parallel cells dehiscing lengthwise, sometimes twisted, or seldom with apical pores Leaves simple, opposite (in the Flora Zambesiaca area), or seldom whorled, only rarely alternate, exstipulate, sometimes reduced and scale-like Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes suffrutescent, rarely shrubs or small trees, erect to straggling, terrestrial or aquatic, rarely parasites or saprophytes, usually glabrous Ovary superior, uni- or bilocular (through the intrusion of the cell walls), usually with many ovules in each cell, with parietal or, in the bilocular ovaries, axile placentation; style simple or rarely absent; stigma entire or bilobed or divided into 2 filiform branches (rarely stigmas deccurent along the sides of the ovary when style wanting) Disk obsolete or annular or of 5 hypogynous glands Seeds usually numerous, subglobose, polyhedric to ovoid-ellipsoid, smooth, wrinkled, or reticulate-faveolate or sometimes frilled; testa crustaceous or membranous; embryo small, straight and elongate, embedded in the copious oily albumen Fruit usually capsular and dehiscent septicidally bivalved or rarely berry-like and splitting irregularly Flowers hermaphrodite or sometimes unisexual, actinomorphic or rarely zygomorphic, subsessile or pedicellate Calyx tubular of (2)4–5, or rarely 6–12 sepals (lobes), imbricate (sometimes valvate) Corolla gamopetalous; tube campanulate, funnel-shaped or cylindric, sometimes with a constricted limb, 3–5(12)-lobed, usually contorted or rarely imbricate, often with scales or nectary-pits within the tube Stamens as many as the corolla lobes, alternating with them, inserted on the corolla; filaments usually dilated at the base; anthers 2-thecous, with distinct parallel cells dehiscing lengthwise, sometimes twisted, or seldom with apical pores Leaves simple, opposite (in the Flora Zambesiaca area), or seldom whorled, only rarely alternate, exstipulate, sometimes reduced and scale-like Annual or perennial herbs, sometimes suffrutescent, rarely shrubs or small trees, erect to straggling, terrestrial or aquatic, rarely parasites or saprophytes, usually glabrous Ovary superior, uni- or bilocular (through the intrusion of the cell walls), usually with many ovules in each cell, with parietal or, in the bilocular ovaries, axile placentation; style simple or rarely absent; stigma entire or bilobed or divided into 2 filiform branches (rarely stigmas deccurent along the sides of the ovary when style wanting) Disk obsolete or annular or of 5 hypogynous glands Seeds usually numerous, subglobose, polyhedric to ovoid-ellipsoid, smooth, wrinkled, or reticulate-faveolate or sometimes frilled; testa crustaceous or membranous; embryo small, straight and elongate, embedded in the copious oily albumen Fruit usually capsular and dehiscent septicidally bivalved or rarely berry-like and splitting irregularly